Wildlife and Countryside Link

Bee-killing neonic pesticides have been banned since 2018, but are still polluting our rivers. With our new analysis with The Rivers Trust finding widespread pollution of English rivers, it’s clear the ban must be strengthened. This means stopping any further emergency authorisations, as the British Sugar industry applies to use neonics for the 5th year running. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eTjdCNbA

🐝 ❌ Neonicotinoids (pesticides known to kill bees) found in 85% of English rivers. Today analysis of Government figures completed by our team and Wildlife and Countryside Link has been released. These toxic compounds are used on sugar beet crops but are known to destroy bees' nervous systems, and affect aquatic insects and mayflies when entering the watercourse. This is thought to have negative ramifications on the wider food chain, too. Our analysis showed that detection rates of five neonicotinoids were highest in river samples in regions where sugar beet farming and processing is most concentrated. Neonicotinoid use is banned in Europe but has been authorized for use in the UK every year for the past five years. Despite promising to ban neonicotinoid pesticides during the election campaign earlier this year, the Government is currently considering permitting its emergency use on sugar beet crops once again. Our analysis has also shown that significantly fewer sites were tested for these pesticides (27 compared to 43 the previous year), echoing the worrying decline in Environment Agency river monitoring. Dr Rob Collins, Director of Policy and Science at the Rivers Trust, said: “The widespread presence of neonicotinoid pesticides in rivers raises alarm bells for the health of our freshwater ecosystems and contributes to the huge cocktail of chemicals afflicting rivers, derived from agriculture, industry, transport and our homes and businesses. “We need to see greater resources made available to monitor chemicals in the environment and systemic change that delivers a much more sustainable approach to their use, right across society.” https://lnkd.in/eaE7AZgS

📆 Just under two weeks to go until our lively public debate at the Museum of Liverpool on 9 December! Book tickets today 👉  https://lnkd.in/ejXYRycz? Join the discussion and hear from experts as they tackle one of the pressing questions of our time: how can the UK balance nature recovery with housing, energy, and land use policies? Our incredible panel includes voices from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), BBC Radio Merseyside, Wildlife and Countryside Link, Scouse Flowerhouse, Eden Project, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, and the University of Liverpool. Don’t miss your chance to engage with the experts shaping these important conversations!

Global targets for nature are welcome. But with our recent analysis showing policy progress on goals agreed at COP16 isn't going anywhere near fast enough, it's clear we need more action. So how do we bridge the gap between targets & tangible progress? In our latest blog Plantlife International, People's Trust for Endangered Species & Bat Conservation Trust set out the potential of Local Nature Recovery Strategies to scale up to help England meet national and international commitments to protect biodiversity. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eNCsdCSw

#COP29 - UK commits £239 million to tackle deforestation in forest-rich nations such as Colombia and Indonesia #COP26 - Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use (GDFLU) launches with 143 nations signing to ‘halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting inclusive rural transformation’. The Environment Act also entered force in 2021 with measures to help implement this commitment, with schedule 17 focusing on reducing global deforestation by regulating commodities in the UK supply chain derived from agricultural land converted from forests. Three years later however and progress toward this has still stalled with no secondary legislation to implement the schedule in place. How do we ensure pledges on forest protection become real action? Read more in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/eA54ymcJ

Recent discussions have pondered the idea of using District Level Licensing (an approach already used in the protection and conservation of Great Crested Newts when local populations will be negatively impacted by a development) on other species - including bats. Our new blog from Bat Conservation Trust highlights how this won't readily translate to bats, due to the complex needs of 18 different species of UK bats and the huge risk to populations that could come from the loss of a key roosting site to development. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eDfUJB5Q

We've teamed up with leading voices across environmental, human rights & legal expertise to call on the UK to stand up for the right to a healthy environment. We've sent a joint letter to Ministry of Justice UK, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs & Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office urging the UK Government to champion the adoption of an additional protocol on the right to a clean, healthy & sustainable environment within the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). This week is the Council of Europe’s ad hoc Multidisciplinary Group on Environment and Steering Committee for Human Rights. Read the letter now: https://lnkd.in/eKwE73Qv

Nature access across education settings would have huge benefits for both teachers & students. Evidence shows that nature can boost children's health, resilience & wellbeing. Other benefits include improved engagement with lessons, increased attention spans & higher achievement across subjects. We're calling on all education settings in England to be supported to give all children regular access to nature. Read more in our new blog with RSPB: https://lnkd.in/dYxjMXVe

Next week the Water (Special Measures) Bill is back in Parliament, entering report stage in the House of Lords. There's some welcome amendments from Government, including one to put a stronger nature duty on Ofwat. But we're still pushing for more, including an amendment to ring-fence any fines levied on water companies to ensure that funds are reinvested for nature's recovery. Read more in our briefing: https://lnkd.in/eRqgWbqm

We welcome progress of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs legislation to #BanDisposableVapes, as it continues its journey through Parliament today👍 This ban would be great news for: Our pets & wildlife who can be poisoned by discarded vapes🐶 Stopping a big source of litter in our natural spaces 🗑️ Using resources in a better way – materials like lithium are key to things like green energy💚 📷Laura Young